Amsterdam is famous for its canals—and perhaps almost equally famous for its bicycles. But beneath those picturesque waterways lies an unusual reality: thousands of bicycles end up in the canals every year.
Estimates commonly put the number of bicycles recovered from Amsterdam’s canals at around 12,000 to 15,000 annually. Some fall in accidentally, while others are believed to be thrown or pushed into the water.
The city regularly deploys specialized teams and equipment to retrieve the submerged bicycles. Workers use boats, hooks and other equipment to pull the bikes from the canals, helping keep the waterways navigable and reducing hazards.
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The phenomenon has become one of Amsterdam’s strangest urban traditions. With hundreds of thousands of bicycles circulating through the city every day, the canals have effectively become an accidental underwater graveyard for two-wheelers.
And there is an ironic side to it: Amsterdam has so many bicycles that even its canals have become part of the city’s bicycle story.
So, while tourists photograph the beautiful canals above the water, there is another Amsterdam hidden underneath—one containing thousands upon thousands of forgotten bicycles.